


God Eater ∑

by SHIOCON



Series: God Eater "Sigmaverse" [1]
Category: God Eater (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-16
Updated: 2018-04-16
Packaged: 2019-04-23 15:52:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14335878
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SHIOCON/pseuds/SHIOCON
Summary: A wandering Aragami, confronted with an unwelcome truth.A young mechanic, forced to make an impossible choice.This is the tale of two souls whose meeting would change their lives, and the world, forever—and then some.





	God Eater ∑

**Author's Note:**

> Part one of a mass upload of all my God Eater fanfic from the GE wiki.

Many years ago, before Nanako came to Fenrir’s Far East Branch and before the God Eater known as Sigma went his separate ways therefrom, the two had a fateful encounter one cold winter’s day in Glasgow, Scotland, at Fenrir’s Glasgow Branch. The events that transpired over the course of a few days in the winter of 2067 had irreversible effects on the lives of both of these individuals, and while they would never meet again, neither would forget the other for as long as they lived.

This is their story.

This is God Eater ∑.

***

–November 19th, 2067: Glasgow, Scotland–

“KAWASHIMAAAA!” A loud cry boomed forth from the back of the Glasgow Branch’s R&D department. “Fetch me the number two vice-grip and the numbers three through seven wrenches!”

“Yes sir!” came a reply from behind a large piece of machinery. The voice belonged to the fourteen-year-old Nanako Kawashima, who, despite her youth, had been working in R&D at Glasgow for nearly five years since her arrival in Glasgow from Japan. Since she was not nearly old enough to hold a frontline combat position, she was placed in the R&D department at the recommendation of a man named Cyrus Casterfield, head of R&D and one of the Glasgow Branch’s founding members. He had taken the young Nanako under his wing as his apprentice, teaching her the ins and outs of God Arc maintenance and construction. Word around the branch was that Nanako would be next in line to succeed Cyrus as head of R&D, but Nanako vehemently denied these rumors, always insisting that she was not nearly talented enough. Nonetheless, she was beloved by everyone at the branch and always found herself worrying about living up to the expectations of those around her.

On this particular day, Nanako and the rest of R&D were working on a certain top-secret project handed down by the higher-ups at Fenrir HQ. No one, save for Cyrus and the higher-ups at various branches around the world, knew precisely what it was, only that it was supposed to be some sort of enormous God Arc prototype. Nanako knew that its success depended on how much effort she and the rest of the department could put into it, and that, should it be successful, humanity would have a new hope of defense against the Aragami. “Honored” could not even begin to describe how Nanako felt to be part of the group assigned to work on this project.

Nanako handed the requested tools off to Cyrus, the man to whom the booming voice belonged. Cyrus was a loud and imposing man with no shortage of charisma and natural commanding authority. Born with a limp, he was deemed unsuited for the front lines in the war against the Aragami, so he elected to serve humanity as part of the newly formed Glasgow Branch’s R&D department instead. He went on to make a name for himself as “Casterfield the Creator,” one of Fenrir’s most decorated developers and a living legend in his own right. When Nanako arrived in Glasgow almost five years ago, Cyrus, with no children of his own, took it upon himself to raise her, at the behest of Nanako’s parents who themselves were members of the Far East Branch and wanted to send Nanako as far away from the heart of the Aragami outbreak as they could. Nanako was like a daughter to Cyrus, and he personally felt that there was no one better to succeed the R&D department than her. She might even make a fine God Eater one day, he occasionally joked.

“Keep it up, boys!” Cyrus shouted to the R&D department’s many workers. “We’re scheduled to complete this bad boy within the week, and once we do, this war is as good as won!” Cyrus’ proclamation was greeted with furious cheering; thanks to them, the Aragami would finally be able to be suppressed reliably, and secure human settlements could finally be established and protected with a 100% success rate against any Aragami that tried to attack. It was of the utmost importance that this project be completed, and this served to drive the Glasgow Branch’s R&D department to work harder than they ever had.

Suddenly, a ringing tone came through on the base’s loudspeakers, announcing that lunch hour had officially begun. “Alright, let’s take a break,” Cyrus proclaimed. “We’re a hair’s breadth away from finishing this, so let’s come back in an hour and plow through what’s left double time!”

As the R&D workers began to disperse, Nanako found herself alone with Cyrus, who was still working on the project with all the fervor one would expect of someone half his age. More than anyone, Cyrus knew the importance of completing this project. Humanity’s fate, he knew, rested on the shoulders of him and everyone in the R&D department here at Glasgow. This sentiment was shared by the entire department, of course, but especially by Nanako, who had been working closely with Cyrus on the project since its inception.

Nanako turned to leave, only to be stopped by Cyrus’ voice calling out to her.

“Kawashima,” Cyrus grunted, “get up here.”

Nanako did as Cyrus requested, climbing up the support structure to the platform on which rested the mostly-covered project that the department had been working on for months. Cyrus sat in front of an uncovered portion at the base, tightening valves and screws with the tools Nanako had handed him earlier.

“Kawashima… no, Nanako,” Cyrus began, beckoning for her to approach. “Do you know what your surname means?”

“Yes, sir,” Nanako responded. “‘Kawashima’ is made up of the characters for ‘river’ and ‘island.’ But… why do you ask?”

“Don’t get me wrong, Nanako,” Cyrus replied. “I’m not asking because I don’t know. I’m asking because I want to remind you of something.” He set down his tools and turned to look Nanako dead in the eyes. “Your parents sent you to me because they wanted me to raise you strong and proud, to live up to the meaning of your family name… and one thing I’ve seen through these past five years is that you’ve more than lived up to it. Like an island in the middle of a river, you’ve weathered everything life has thrown at you, never crumbling, never backing down. You are, without a doubt, one of the strongest people I know and have ever met, and while I know you don’t think you can handle the responsibility, I want you to take over the R&D department when I retire. Humanity can rest easy knowing that their fate is in your hands.”

“Please, sir, I…” Nanako began, before she was cut off by Cyrus.

“Don’t ‘please, sir’ me. You know very well that you have what it takes. And if you really don’t feel like succeeding me, at least take the God Eater qualification test one day. I’m sure your parents would be proud knowing that their daughter is defending humanity on the front lines against the greatest threat we have ever known.”

Nanako had no words to respond. To know that Cyrus held her in this high regard was an honor of which Nanako never thought she would be worthy. Tears welling up in her eyes, she turned to leave… but something kept her, something made her stay.

“Cyrus… sir,” she spoke, her voice tinged with nervousness, “what exactly IS this thing we’ve been working on anyway?”

Cyrus’ mood instantly changed. He looked around to make sure no one was listening in, then pulled Nanako close.

“Officially,” he began, his voice a low whisper, “this baby doesn’t even exist. Even among those who do know of its existence, its true nature is a closely kept secret known only by myself, select branch heads, and the higher-ups at HQ. What this is…” Cyrus stood up, dusting himself off, “is the Super-Massive Anti-Aragami Hyperdestructive Piercing Rail Rifle, codenamed Gigantes. It’s a huge projectile weapon that automatically targets Aragami cores and magnetically accelerates a huge piercing projectile designed to penetrate even the toughest Aragami armor. With this baby, our victory is guaranteed even against the baddest of the baddies out there. And what’s more, the projectiles detonate on impact, dealing massive damage to the rest of the Aragami and blasting any others nearby to kingdom come.”

Nanako was in awe. “But then why is it such a big secret?” she asked, puzzled as to why such a beacon of hope should be kept from the people who could most benefit from that knowledge.

Upon hearing this, Cyrus’ mood darkened. “This is something I didn’t even know at first,” Cyrus replied, his face dour. “I only found out about it from studying the plans… I don’t think they counted on me being that smart, and I’ve no idea who else, if anyone, has discovered this on the side. But anyway, the reason this thing is veiled in so much secrecy is because of its power source.”

“Its power source?” Nanako questioned. “Doesn’t it just use Oracle Cells to power an electromagnetic coil assembly?”

“It does,” replied Cyrus, “but, well… see for yourself.”

Cyrus stepped aside from where he was working, revealing what looked like a small hole just big enough for a person to stick their hand in, accompanied by a device that looked almost identical to the bracelets all the God Eaters wore.

“You… you don’t mean…?”

“It’s exactly what it looks like,” spoke Cyrus, his voice shaky. “This thing here can only work by using a living human being as a power source. It injects them full of bias factor, more than a normal God Eater would take in over the course of a few years, in the span of a minute, basically turns them into an Aragami on the spot, and then completely sucks ‘em dry of all their Oracle Cells to charge its internal reserves. One charge can power this thing for a good thousand shots, and then, well, it has to be recharged.”

“But that…” Nanako began, horrified.

“Yeah, it’s just as bad as it sounds,” Cyrus replied, almost in tears. “It requires a human sacrifice to work.”

“Then how is it worth it?!” Nanako shot back. “What would compel someone to design something like this?! Even if it will save us from the Aragami once and for all, how… how could…”

At that moment, Nanako felt a stinging impact across her face. Cyrus had lunged forward and delivered a slap onto Nanako’s cheek. “You don’t bloody think I know that?” exclaimed Cyrus, enraged. “How do you think I felt when they told me I didn’t have a bloody choice?! And I mean, sure, it costs a precious life to power it, but humanity will be saved! We can be rid of the Aragami once and for all!”

Cyrus backed off, tears cascading from his eyes. “How… how do you think I bloody feel about this, huh?” He slumped to the ground, head in his hands. “Just… just go and take your damn lunch break, Kawashima. Although I can’t bloody well expect you to want to work on this after what you just learned.”

Her heart in a haze, Nanako turned to leave the R&D lab. Behind her sat Cyrus, still a wreck. Best to leave him alone for now, Nanako thought, leaving the lab and heading towards the elevator.

Tomorrow, she recalled, the Glasgow Branch was supposed to play host to a visiting regiment of God Eaters from the Russian Branch. Perhaps tomorrow would prove to take her mind off of today’s events…

***

Humanity.

For as long as the entity that called itself Sigma could remember, humanity had been at the core of its existence. It was instilled with something that, in so many words, could be called a “love” for humanity. Despite its nature as one closer to an Aragami than a human, it had made its absolute priority in life the protection of humanity as a whole.

It was this drive to protect “humanity” that brought it to its current location, the God Arc Compatibility testing grounds of the Fenrir Russia Branch. Here, it decided, it would join humanity’s struggle against the Aragami, for the sake of protecting humanity’s future – for while the entity that called itself Sigma was a being closer to an Aragami than to a human, the humanity within the core of its being nonetheless cried out for it to do what it could to protect the future of its fellow humans… in so many words.

“Just close your eyes and relax,” called out a voice over the loudspeaker, snapping the entity that called itself Sigma out of its daze. “You’ll feel some pain, but this procedure will give you the ability to wield the weapons to fight against the Aragami as a God Eater.” This, of course, was nothing new to the entity that called itself Sigma; it knew all about the God Eaters, about the bias factor injections and how they weaponized Aragami into the God Arcs to be used when fighting against the Aragami. This, it thought, was not too far off from what it itself was, perhaps. Something not quite Aragami that fought alongside humans to protect humans from Aragami. 

Of course, for the entity that called itself Sigma, there was no pain, not even a slight prick. The bias factor rushing through its veins was no unfamiliar sensation. After all, this was familiar ground for it, its home field. It obviously would be unable to use its usual God Arc, for it knew it would have to blend in in order to best be able to assist the humans in their struggle against the Aragami. But this was no major setback; it was far stronger and faster than even the strongest of the anti-Aragami soldiers, the God Eaters. They would soon come to depend on it as a valuable ally, and together the entity that called itself Sigma and the other God Eaters would fight the Aragami together.

At least, this is what the entity that called itself Sigma thought.

Until that fateful day–

————

“Good, good! Keep up the assault!”

On this day, the God Eaters of the Russia Branch were engaged in combat with a stray Ouroboros outside the branch proper. It had slipped through the branch’s defenses and had gotten well within the allowable radius, so an emergency team had been dispatched on short notice to deal with it.

Viktor Katayev, Lieutenant Colonel of Fenrir and current commanding officer of the Russia Branch, had elected to lead the assault team himself, and now stood before the Ouroboros, his long blade at the ready and dripping with the blood of a freshly severed tentacle. “Surround the target and dispatch its tentacles!” He issued commands to his teammates without missing a beat as they positioned themselves for attack, slicing and blasting through its tentacles and bringing it down to the ground. The time was right for the finishing blow.

“Sigma, now!!” came Katayev’s shout. 

With perfect timing, Sigma leapt from behind Katayev, landing on the Ouroboros’ eyes and impaling it deep with his short blade. Blood spurted out and the Ouroboros fell at last, its tentacles – or what was left of them – flailing about futilely. They’d done it, they’d repelled another threat and guaranteed the continued survival of all the humans living under their protection.

As the Ouroboros fell, the members of the assault team gathered together, their cheers the only sound echoing across the frozen hellscape of the Russian tundra. 

“As expected of Sigma,” exclaimed Aleksei Khromov, a fellow member of the assault team. “You’ve been bringing us nothing but victory since your arrival here three months ago. I’ve no idea how you’re so damn good at killing Aragami, but at any rate, no one’s complaining. You’ll always be welcome here at the Russia Branch!”

Sigma glanced downwards; despite his general antisocial tendencies, all this praise from his teammates made him the slightest bit embarrassed. “Please, comrade, I am not deserving of this much praise,” he returned. “This operation wouldn’t have succeeded were it not for each and every one of us working together to bring down the target.”

“Perhaps,” came the reply of Milyena Kashkanova, the branch’s ace sniper and the idol of the entire branch, “but without you, none of us would be standing here right now. We gave it all we had; it was only your strength and finishing blow that ensured we finished the operation safe and sound.”

“I suppose, if you insist…” Sigma turned away from Milyena. In spite of everything, he had accomplished the one thing he desired most; he had protected humanity from the Aragami threat once again. If he could continue to do that, he thought, then he would be satisfied.

“At attention, men!” Katayev’s shout broke the rest of the team out of their post-operation high. “Today, we have done humanity a great favor in repelling the Aragami threat. Each and every one of you should take immense pride in your actions, for without you, humanity would be without hope, without a future. Return to base on the double and report your victory to those who await us!” 

The assault team members cheered once again and turned towards home. Katayev, however, had other plans.

“Sigma, hold.” His stern voice called out for Sigma, who was heading up the rear of the pack. Sigma turned around and strode through the blustering snow towards Katayev.

“What is it, sir?” Sigma inquired.

Katayev moved in close. “Don’t tell anyone I told you this, but there’s talk among the Director’s inner circle that your promotion might go through within the week. Pretty soon we might be looking at Senior Lieutenant Sigma. Doesn’t the sound of that positively ring?”

“Indeed it does, sir,” came Sigma’s reply. “However, I do not feel that I am worthy of this honor.”

“Nonsense!” Katayev delivered a firm slap on Sigma’s back. “Were it not for you, the lot of us would have been dead and frozen in the ice more times than I can count – myself included. You’re the Russia Branch’s shining star, Sigma, and a beacon of hope to humanity as a whole. Now let’s head back to rejoin the group heading home. I’m sure the Director and the rest of the Russia Branch are eagerly awaiting our report!”

————

That night, the dining hall of the Russia Branch was aglow with cheer and merriment. Everyone was talking about the victory of the assault team over the Ouroboros that threatened the branch, and more than a handful of people made special mention of Sigma’s exploits in laying the beast low. Humanity, or at least what portion of it called the Russia Branch its home, had won another tomorrow, regardless of who was to thank.

Sigma sat at a table among the other members of the assault team, partaking in a massive ham shared by everyone at the table. The praises never ceased, and Sigma yet found himself the center of attention. This was a routine occurrence at this point; Sigma had proven time and time again to be effective in bringing down all manner of Aragami, and people called out to him whenever they passed him in the halls. It was beginning to wear on Sigma for sure, but for now, he decided, he’d enjoy this meager celebration and await the moment when he would next have to fight for the sake of humanity.

“To Sigma!” called out Katayev, seated across from him at the table. The toast was reciprocated by the rest of the assault team, who raised their glasses high before downing a drink in Sigma’s honor.

 

Later, after the feast was over and the crowd had dispersed, Katayev once again caught Sigma on his way out.

“I spoke with the Director earlier,” remarked Katayev, a grin on his face. “Your promotion has been finalized; the ceremony will take place tomorrow morning before we depart.”

“Depart?” Sigma was confused; he hadn’t heard of any so-called “departure” planned. “Where are we going?”

“First thing in the morning after your promotion ceremony,” Katayev replied, “a small team of God Eaters will depart the Russia Branch en route to the Glasgow Branch to assist in preparations for the maiden deployment of the Super-Massive Anti-Aragami Hyperdestructive Piercing Rail Rifle Gigantes. It’s a marvel of science and modern engineering that uses Oracle Cells as a power source to magnetically accelerate a massive armor-piercing round to instantly obliterate an Aragami’s core and destroy anything in the immediate vicinity. Sure, the cost is a bit hefty, but with this on our side, humanity’s victory against the Aragami is assured!”

“Cost, sir…?” Sigma inquired.

Katayev leaned in close and whispered to Sigma words that made both of their skin crawl. “The only way to get enough power to charge that cannon all the way is to use a live human being as a sacrifice – it pumps them full of bias factor, turns them into an Aragami, and drains all their Oracle Cells right then and there to charge itself up. Good for a few months at the very least, but still… orders are orders.”

Sigma was incensed. “‘Orders are orders?’ So that’s it, huh? You’re willing to sacrifice a human life just to kill the Aragami a little bit quicker? You monster!”

“Sigma, hold your tongue! I had no say in the matter, and besides–”

“‘Besides’ what?! Are you going to say that it’s okay as long as the victim agrees to it? Like hell that’s okay!”

Sigma would have none of this. All this work in defending humanity, and this prosperity he’d worked so hard for was about to go to hell because the higher-ups wanted to kill the Aragami just a little bit faster?

“I’m sorry, sir, but I will not stand for this!” Sigma retorted, his mind aflame.

“In that case, I will be forced to place you on court martial for insubordination. A shame, really, after all you’ve done for–”

Katayev could not finish his sentence, as an impossibly sharp blade had impaled itself through his heart. At the other end of the blade stood Sigma, eyes piercing with rage.

“Sigma… you bas…tard…”

Katayev slumped to the floor as the last of his life slipped away. Sigma withdrew his personal God Arc, formed from his own body, and turned to face down the hallway.

“Everyone here is complicit,” Sigma growled. “And so I will take matters into my own hands.”

Putting one foot in front of the other, the entity that called itself Sigma strode down the hallway towards the elevator that would take it to the residential floors and the Director’s office.

“There will be no team of God Eaters heading to the Glasgow Branch tomorrow,” the entity that called itself Sigma mused, “and come tomorrow, Glasgow will be awash in a sea of blood.”

All for the sake of humanity’s tomorrow…

***

–November 20th, 2067: Glasgow, Scotland–

Nanako woke up in a daze, the events of the previous day still presenting a sour taste in her mouth. In the course of a few minutes, everything Nanako held as a source of pride had been destroyed – the secret project she and the rest of R&D had been working on for months had turned out to be an anti-Aragami cannon called Gigantes that used a human life as its power source. While she couldn’t exactly walk free with that knowledge, she was nonetheless unsure of how to proceed – should she be true to herself and refuse to work on the project, knowing that her contributing to loss of human life would be irreproachable, or should she continue working out of obligation to Cyrus for raising her these past five years?

Nanako was jolted out of her reverie by the sound of a ship’s foghorn. Ah, that’s right, she recalled. Today was the day a delegation of God Eaters from the Fenrir Russia Branch would be coming by for some sort of official business. Since work on Gigantes was suspended for the day in honor of the delegation’s arrival, Nanako had time to sort herself out, to work out where she wanted to go from here…

…or, at least, that’s what she thought.

When she dressed herself and made her way down to the pier on the River Clyde, Glasgow’s major waterway and the source of its prosperity in the old age, she was greeted with a large crowd of people from the Glasgow Branch already waiting there, but not the official Russia Branch boat they had been expecting. Instead, a small lifeboat was moored, and what stepped off the boat and onto the extended bridge to the pier was no delegation… but a single, unarmed man.

Scores of gasps escaped the crowd. Certainly, everyone there had been expecting ten, maybe twenty God Eaters to meet them, but a single individual? What could possibly have happened?

“It… it was a disaster,” the man, his hair stark white and his skin a light shade of brown. “We were attacked out in the Norwegian Sea… a swarm of Gboro Gboros and Sariels. Massacred the entire team and lost me my God Arc. It was a miracle I made it out alive…” The man collapsed, clearly still in shock. 

Cyrus Casterfield came forth. “Someone, anyone, get this man a stretcher!” While someone hurriedly sent for a medic team, Cyrus attempted to rally the Glasgow Branch into an alternate plan of action. Nanako, however, merely stared at the man… what secrets did he hold?

————

“Sigma. My name is Sigma.”

The man, whose name was Sigma, sat surrounded by members of the Glasgow Branch while he recounted the tale of the catastrophe that befell him and his fellow God Eaters at sea. “We were rounding the Norwegian peninsula when they attacked us. The first laser took out the captain, then the Sariels descended on us while the Gboro Gboros punched holes right through our hull. We had no chance… we were confined to the ship’s deck, and they, they had all of the air and sea to rain hell on us. I only survived by hiding below deck after they destroyed my God Arc.” Sigma began shaking. “They must have given up after a while, because after a while I stopped hearing the screams and the sounds of destruction. I escaped onto a lifeboat before she went under, and now, well… here I am.”

“Poor lad,” exclaimed Cyrus. “You must have known true hell.” He stood up and turned to address the members of the Glasgow Branch’s R&D department. “Men, with this turn of events, we’ll need to come up with a different course of action for the implementation of our project. Increase production by 20% – we’ll need to get this baby ready tomorrow, two days ahead of schedule. Pull all-nighters if you have to; tomorrow will be the dawning of a new age for humanity!”

The crowd cheered. As they began to disperse, Cyrus turned to Nanako. “Kawashima… no, Nanako,” Cyrus began. “I realize that it’d be foolish of me to expect you to work on this project after what you know. It’d be cruel of me to expect you to be complicit in the loss of human life… but if we don’t do what we can to get Gigantes finished, many, many more people will die because we didn’t give this our best effort. So please…” Cyrus got down on his knees. “Please, Nanako… you’re our best technician, the shining star of the R&D department. Your work on Gigantes could mean the difference between humanity being overrun by the Aragami and humanity bringing the Aragami to heel once and for all.”

“Cyrus, please stand up,” Nanako responded, tears in her eyes. “You were right… it was foolish and shortsighted of me to put my own principles before the needs of humanity as a whole. I’ll do everything in my power to ensure that Gigantes sees deployment, even…” Nanako paused, steeling herself. “Even if it means the loss of a single life.”

“Nanako,” Cyrus began, “I thank you. I thank you so… so much…” He grabbed Nanako and hugged her close. She was like a daughter to him, and now she would be helping him bring a new light to humanity’s future.

Their moment, however, was interrupted by Sigma’s approach.

“I apologize for the interruption,” Sigma began, “but, if possible, I wish to view the Gigantes in preparation for its coming deployment. Mr. Casterfield, would it be possible to escort me to its location?”

“I…” Cyrus composed himself. “I suppose that would be in order. Come, follow me. Nanako, you come along too.” Nanako turned and followed Gyrus and Sigma as the two of them headed toward the elevator.

————

As they stepped into the R&D hall, Nanako was rendered awestruck. Work had proceeded on Gigantes after her departure from the hall the day prior; the barrel and firing assembly had been fitted into place, and, had Nanako not known better, she would have assumed it was ready for deployment and firing.

“This is it,” Cyrus exclaimed. “This is the Gigantes. When this baby’s deployed, it’ll mark the dawning of a new age for humanity. No Aragami will be able to stand against us, and human settlements will be secure with absolute certainty. Anything in particular you’d like to know, Sigma?”

The two men launched into a heated back-and-forth about the Gigantes’ features and specifications, while Nanako was left to think about certain things that had been bothering her. For starters, how was it that Sigma had been the only survivor? Any God Eater, Nanako felt, should have been eager to fight on the front lines against any Aragami threatening them and their comrades. Also, if Sigma had fled below decks, how would he have fought hard enough to break his God Arc as he claimed? Too much just didn’t add up…

Suddenly, however, a warning bell sounded throughout the branch. This wasn’t just a regular warning bell, either – this was a bell reserved for only the most massive and sinister Aragami to threaten a branch. Any Aragami that warranted this bell was easily capable of reducing an entire branch to rubble with so much as a movement. Sure enough, an announcement shortly came over following the bell. “Attention,” the announcement stated. “This is not a drill. The Glasgow Branch is currently under threat by the Gehenna. I repeat, this is not a drill. The Gehenna is preparing to assault the Glasgow Branch. All hands, please act accordingly and prepare for battle.”

This was it. The Gehenna was an Aragami that most humans would be lucky never to see in their lifetimes. Dwarfing mountains, the Gehenna stood tens of thousands of feet tall. It normally lay dormant below the surface of the ocean, but experts feared that one day it would awaken and bring the world to ruin in a single day – but for it to awaken now, of all times…?

Cyrus sprang into action instantly. “Nanako,” he commanded, “stay here with Sigma. I’m going to talk to the higher-ups about what to do and petition for early deployment of the Gigantes. Hopefully we can use this to at least put a dent in the Gehenna and drive it off.” Cyrus ran off to the elevator, leaving Nanako and Sigma alone in the R&D hall.

Nanako, however, had other plans.

“Sigma,” Nanako began, “I’ve got a few questions for you.”

“I don’t see a problem with that,” came Sigma’s reply. “Ask away.”

“First of all,” Nanako began, “I’m calling shenanigans on your story. You said that your team was annihilated by Aragami, but you yourself showed no signs of wear or injury, or even of fatigue. Also, God Arcs don’t just ‘break.’ I’ve worked on building them for years; I know this. And if you really had come here from the Norwegian Sea on a lifeboat as you claim, you would have taken months to get here. Too much doesn’t add up here.”

“Sigma… what are you?”

***

Sigma found himself backed into a corner. This girl had him figured out; his mission could be endangered because of her.

“Miss Nanako,” Sigma replied, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t screw with me!” Nanako shouted back. “I may be a kid, but I’m not a bloody moron!” Nanako stepped forward, cornering Sigma – who went into action without hesitation.

Holding out his hand, Sigma’s arm began to undulate and ripple. A mass of flesh shot out of the side of his hand, forming itself into an impossibly sharp short blade that glinted with a sinister light.

“You were right about everything,” exclaimed Sigma, “save for one point. There was an Aragami attack… but it occurred before the ship even left port. You see, I came here because I could not abide the loss of human life that mass deployment of the Gigantes would cause… so I massacred the entire Russia branch and headed here myself. Ten miles out, I scuttled the ship myself and made the remaining journey on the lifeboat you saw at the pier. All so I could visit upon the Glasgow Branch the same fate I exacted upon the Russia Branch… starting with you. For your crime of cooperating in the creation of an instrument of human death –”

“–you will be the first to die!”

Sigma lunged forth, his blade pointed directly at Nanako’s heart, but was stopped in his tracks by a heavy object hitting him in the back of the head. Turning around, Sigma saw Cyrus standing there, a bundle of wrenches under his arm and one such wrench on the ground at Sigma’s feet.

“You… you monster,” Cyrus roared. “I heard everything. How dare you try and kill Nanako… my Nanako!?” Cyrus threw another wrench at Sigma’s head, and then another, but Sigma merely sliced both of them in twain as he walked towards a furious Cyrus.

“I understand that you’re the one in charge of the Gigantes project,” Sigma mused, deflecting and severing more wrenches as he continued to approach Cyrus. “You, then, are the greatest criminal of all… so I must do what is necessary to prevent further loss of human life.”

In one fateful instant, Sigma dashed forward and thrust out his blade. As its tip pierced Cyrus’ heart, time seemed to slow down for Nanako. At this moment, everything she held dear was crumbling before her eyes, at the hands of this Aragami in human form. And yet there was nothing Nanako could do; she was powerless to stop Sigma from tearing her entire life up to this point to shreds.

Sigma withdrew his blade from Cyrus’ heart as Cyrus crumpled to the ground. He turned towards Nanako to finish what he started… only for a great rumbling to echo throughout the branch, accompanied by an announcement indicating that the Gehenna had come within a hundred-mile radius of the Glasgow Branch. With how fast it moved, it would be upon the branch within the hour.

Nanako stared down the length of Sigma’s blade. “You can feel free to kill me here and now and prevent the completion of the Gigantes, sparing a few lives here and there,” she began, “but should the Gigantes not reach completion, millions of people are sure to die, and if the Gehenna reaches us, so too will millions more in the Glasgow Branch alone. So choose, Sigma!” Nanako stood defiant against her would-be killer. “Choose now! Spare the sacrifice of one life, or prevent the loss of countless more!”

Sigma stood, conflicted. He was beginning to question his original purpose for coming here. Certainly, he thought, he could still massacre the Glasgow Branch and fight the Gehenna alone… but even for someone of his level of power, there was naught he could do against something of the Gehenna’s sheer size.

“…Very well,” Sigma begrudgingly agreed. “Your life is saved for the time being. Tell me what we need to do to get this thing operational.”

“Well,” Nanako began, “we’ll need to raise it to the surface and point it towards the Gehenna’s line of approach. Problem is, that shake-up earlier took out the power to our lift, so we’ll need to raise it manually.” Nanako pointed to a massive chain that hung down the wall a short distance from the lift on which sat the Gigantes. “Normally one of the R&D guys could pull it alone, but with how heavy the Gigantes is, there’s no way one person could handle i– Hey, where are you going?”

Before Nanako could finish, Sigma had strode over to the chain. “I just need to pull this, right?” Sigma called out.

“Well, yes,” Nanako replied, “but like I said, the Gigantes weighs countless tons, so one person’ll never be able to–“

Right before Nanako’s eyes, Sigma’s arm began to undulate and shift once more, just like when he’d called his blade. Sigma thrust his arm skyward, and it shot out, becoming many feet long and grabbing the chain at the very top. “Nanako,” Sigma called, “get on!”

Nanako did as she was told, climbing onto the lift next to the Gigantes. Sigma extended his other arm, grabbing onto the edge of the lift.

“Here goes nothing,” he stated, and at that moment his arm holding the chain tensed its powerful muscles before contracting instantaneously, yanking the chain downwards at speeds no human could manage. The lift grumbled, then shot upwards far faster than something weighing hundreds of tons should. Letting go of the chain, Sigma retracted his other arm, pulling himself onto the lift and landing next to Nanako as they passed the ceiling and soared towards the surface.

————

As the lift breached the surface, they could see it.

Looming over the horizon was a massive beast that stretched skyward, piercing the clouds and dwarfing even the tallest mountain in terms of both height and breadth.

Only this was no mountain. The Gehenna was truly as big as the tales said, and it was headed straight for them. They were ready, sure, but would that be enough to stop it? There was only one way to find out.

“Sigma, I need you to do something for me,” Nanako called out, as the Gehenna lifted one massive foot and brought it down, shaking the earth with a mighty rumble. “I’m going to go over to the control pad and aim the Gigantes towards the Gehenna, but I’ll need you to do what you can to push the edge of it to speed up the process. This thing takes a while to warm up, so we’ll need to expedite the process as much as possible!”

Sigma nodded and moved to the edge of the cannon, directly under the massive barrel. “On my signal,” Nanako shouted, “push with all your might!”

Nanako swiped a key card in a slot next to the control console’s keypad, pressed a few buttons, then moved her hand to a series of levers. “Ready?” Nanako called out at Sigma. Steeling herself, she pulled the levers all at once, which caused the Gigantes to issue forth a low hum and begin to shake. At that moment, Nanako called out “NOW!” at which point Sigma expanded his arms and pushed, lurching the Gigantes’ barrel gradually towards the Gehenna. Nanako merely prayed that they’d have enough time to prime the Gigantes before the Gehenna got too close… and then, well…

Nanako shuddered at the thought of what would have to come next, but she knew that it had to be done. If not, all of humanity could kiss their futures goodbye.

————

After what had to be upwards of an hour, the Gigantes was finally oriented towards the Gehenna. The next few moments would surely be what defined the future of all of humanity. By this point, the Gehenna had likely advanced half of the remaining distance to the Glasgow Branch. Nanako and Sigma both knew that time was of the essence… the decisive moment was truly now.

Nanako swallowed. “Sigma,” she began, turning towards Sigma, “I can’t forgive you for Cyrus’ death, and I don’t think I ever will…” She managed a small smile. “…But I sincerely thank you for doing your part in staving off the Gehenna’s assault. Perhaps after I do my part, humanity will be able to rest easy knowing that their future is secured.”

“‘Your part?’” Sigma questioned. “You don’t mean–”

Nanako merely nodded, rolling up her sleeve and walking over to the God Arc bracelet beside the control console. “It’s the least – and most – that I can do in this situation. At least this way, no one will miss me…”

She reached out her hand towards the God Arc module, having resolved to join Cyrus in the next world through her sacrifice–

–but Sigma slapped her hand out of the way, then slapped her.

“Are you a fool?!” shouted Sigma, his words muffled by the crashing rumble of the Gehenna’s footfalls. “Do you think Cyrus would have wanted you to throw away your life, to throw away everything you’ve worked towards, all your pride and all of your love, your joy, and your sorrows, for this? You need to live, Nanako! Live so you can bring joy and a future to all of mankind with your own two hands!!” Sigma thrust his hand out, directly into the God Arc module, which clamped down on his hand. 

“But Sigma, you’ll…” Nanako began, but Sigma cut her off.

“–die? Not likely. I’m an Aragami, you know, so I should be fine. Please, Nanako… press the button. Activate Gigantes. For all of mankind.”

Nanako swallowed, tears streaming down her face, as she reached out and shakily pressed the button that would activate the process that would power the cannon and steal away the life of its user. As the barrel started crackling and moving into position, beginning the process that would automatically lock onto the core of its target, Sigma began to cry out in agony as Oracle Cells flowed from his body en masse into the Gigantes. This was it, the both of them knew. With this… humanity would be saved.

As the Gehenna approached, Sigma cried out “Take this, you damn monsteeeeerrrrrrrrrrrr!!!”–

–fire.

The world seemed to freeze as the Gigantes let off its first shot, a crackling beam of green light erupting forth as the armor-piercing projectile shot out of the Gigantes’ barrel, aimed straight for the Gehenna’s heart.

It flew towards the horizon and found its target with no effort, the projectile impaling itself deep into the Gehenna and erupting with a massive Oracle explosion that seemed to outshine the very sun itself. Surely, this was the end. Nothing could survive a hit from the Gigantes…

…and, sure enough, the Gehenna began to teeter, slowly falling forward with a groan–

–they had miscalculated.

It was too close to the branch; it would land on the branch and take the entire complex with it. Nothing could be done now. They had saved humanity, but at the cost of the lives of everyone in the Glasgow Branch…

…at least, that is what Nanako thought. Sigma, however, had other ideas.

“Dammiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiittttttttt!” he cried out, wrenching his arm out of the Gigantes and leaving his hand behind as the Oracle Cells that made up his body began to writhe and twist, expanding outwards at a frightening rate. “I won’t let you take us with you, you monster!!!”

Faster than the eye could track, in a manner not unlike a God Arc changing shape, Sigma’s right arm took on a very familiar shape: a gun-type God Arc.

“Sigma, what are you–” Nanako began, but she knew the answer, she knew what Sigma was going to do.

“I’m taking in the Gigantes’ Oracle reserves for one last shot,” Sigma exclaimed. “If I pour my entire life force into this cannon, I should be able to fire a blast powerful enough to vaporize the Gehenna’s entire body. I just hope I can charge up before it’s too late…”

Nanako hoped, too. Hoped against hope that Sigma could surpass his limits and save all of humanity from the single greatest threat to their continued existence in all of history.

But Nanako’s hopes were quickly dashed as the Gehenna’s falling body picked up speed, its head splitting the clouds apart as its gaping maw descended upon them, the many eyes within gazing directly at Sigma–

–as he fired.

A great green light illuminated the surroundings, a brilliance that cast aside all shadows and brought ruin to all that bathed in it. The Gehenna was mercilessly shaved away, its entire body dissolving into the air as the light touched it. The surroundings were suffused with a high hum, the sound of humanity’s greatest threat being blasted to oblivion as the entirety of Sigma’s Oracle Cells poured forth. Every ounce of his being was invested in this attack; he knew he had to rid the world of the Gehenna at all costs. For the sake of humanity’s future, he would succeed.

————

The brilliant luminance eventually faded away, leaving a smoldering blast zone many miles in width that extended well towards the horizon. There was no sign of the Gehenna, save for a particular odor hanging in the air not unlike that of cooked meat.

Nanako and Sigma slumped to the ground. Sigma, having exhausted his life force down to the last drop, was on the verge of death, and Nanako had seen enough hardship and trauma to last a lifetime. 

But they’d done it, once and for all this time. The Gehenna had been swiftly and decisively laid low, and humanity’s future secured as a result. Certainly this wasn’t the end; other Aragami would doubtless rise up and threaten the world in the future, but on this day they had won a decisive victory – that much, at least, was certain.

Nanako gazed back at the Gigantes. Sigma’s final attack had damaged it beyond repair; it would never see deployment again. Perhaps this was for the best, though, Nanako thought. This way, there would be no needless loss of human life, and she had no doubt that the advancing of God Arc technology would one day yield similar ways of combating Aragami without a sacrifice being necessary.

Walking over to where Sigma lay, Nanako bent down and picked up his still-breathing body. He was strangely light, she noted — perhaps this was because he had drained himself dry in that last attack. At any rate, she walked over to the lift on which sat the remains of the Gigantes and pressed the button to begin their descent to the R&D hall. Surely there would be words to share with the members of the branch…

Sure enough, upon the arrival of the lift at its destination, a crowd of God Eaters and civilians alike were waiting for them. They surrounded Nanako and Sigma, their eyes clouded with rage.

“Is that the monster what murdered our Cyrus?” one of them demanded. Nanako, however, talked him down.

“It’s…” she began, “…it’s alright. Were it not for Sigma here, humanity would have no future to speak of. Thanks to him, we were able to drive back the Gehenna and save everyone here and beyond.”

“Ah, yes,” another spoke, a God Eater this time, “that light… I’ve never seen its like in my entire time as a God Eater. I don’t know what you might be…” He walked over and ruffled Sigma’s hair as he lay unconscious in Nanako’s arms. “…but we all owe you our lives. Us and all of humanity on top. So… thank you.”

One by one, the members of the Glasgow Branch dropped to their knees in reverence of their saviors. On this day, their future had been secured thanks in no small part to the efforts of Sigma, the wandering Aragami, and Nanako, the shining star of the Glasgow Branch. As for what the future had in store for the two of them, well…

***

::SEVEN YEARS LATER::  
::MAY 15TH, 2074::

“So you’re really leaving us, then?”

A voice came from behind Nanako as she stepped onto the extended bridge that led onto the boat that would take her to her destination. Over the past six years, what later became known as the Gehenna Incident found its way into the legends told among Fenrir and its members, the grand tale of two people who together fought and vanquished the greatest threat humanity had ever known and likely would ever know. Only the people of the Glasgow Branch knew the truth, of course, but since then Nanako had grown into someone who was more than capable of living up to the legends that existed about her. 

And on this day, the twenty-first anniversary of her birth, Nanako Kawashima was preparing to take the next step in her journey of life. Once she boarded this ship, she would be on her way to return to Japan, the land of her birth, to do what Cyrus Casterfield had wanted her to do all those years ago – she would join the Fenrir Far East Branch and finally take the God Arc compatibility exam to become a God Eater. This, she knew, would truly make her parents proud… and, hey, maybe she’d see them again, should she find them at the Far East Branch.

Nanako put aside her stray thoughts and turned to face the crowd that had accompanied her to the pier.

“I sincerely thank all of you for raising me these past twelve years, especially in Cyrus’ absence. You are all like family to me, and I will miss you dearly. But now, I leave to start a new chapter in my life. I will return to the land of my birth and enlist on the front lines as a God Eater to fight the Aragami.

“The Gehenna Incident seven years ago taught me something – if we want to fight for humanity’s future, we have to do it ourselves. Sure, we can make more weapons like the Gigantes to drive off Aragami, but what worth is a future won at the cost of human life? This is what I learned from Cyrus… and from you, Sigma. You taught me that if I want to make a difference, that difference has to start with me.”

Nanako smiled, wiping back tears. “Farewell, my dear, dear friends. I pray you find yourselves well down the line!”

And with that, she stepped onto the ship that would take her over the seas to Japan…

————

It had been a number of days since Nanako had left port at Glasgow. The journey had been fairly easygoing, and they had been fortunate enough not to come under attack from any Aragami.

On this bright morning in May, Nanako stood at the bow of the ship, feeling the wind in her hair and relishing the smell of the salty spray.

This was it, she thought. She was finally on her way to become the Nanako she always knew she could be. And not just her – she knew that Cyrus would be behind her every step of the way were he still alive.

That last thought suddenly felt off as Nanako heard a familiar voice from behind her.

“So, you’re finally on the way, eh?”

Nanako whirled around and came face-to-face with the very image of her late adoptive father.

“Cyrus…” Nanako began, before the phatasmal image before her cut her off.

“No need to say anything,” came Cyrus’ reply. “You’re a big girl now, and you don’t need me to support you anymore.”

“But everything I’ve done was all to make you proud,” Nanako replied.

“Hey now, you know that’s not true,” responded Cyrus. “You’re on your way to become a God Eater because of your own inner strength and your desire to become who you were always meant to be. So pick yourself up and dust yourself off, because here comes a brand new Nanako Kawashima.”

Cyrus smiled, prompting tears to form in Nanako’s eyes.

“Let go of yourself, Nanako,” continued Cyrus. “Let go of your past, let go of what’s holding you back. You don’t need to live your life for me anymore. Live your life for no one but yourself, you hear me? I’ll always be watching over you.”

The image of Cyrus before Nanako walked over and took her in its embrace, before smiling once more and fading into the air, merely a figment of Nanako’s imagination. She would never see him again, for she was strong enough now to live for no one’s sake but her own. Today marked the death of the old Nanako, and the birth of a new Nanako Kawashima who would one day rend the very heavens themselves.

“Goodbye… father,” Nanako spoke, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“…and thank you.”

And with that, the ship sailed ever onwards, towards Japan and towards a new future for Nanako and for all of humanity.

***

Cold.

Cold and dark.

This, and not much else, described the world in which the boy currently lived.

His parents had left months ago. On a business trip, they had said, but the boy was sure the Aragami had gotten to them by now. The boy, however, was left all alone, and the food stores, which had lasted a month or two, had run out. The water still worked, at the very least, but the boy’s hunger had reached a point where it subsumed the boy’s very existence. 

And so he hungered. And hungered.

All the boy wanted was a single bite of something to eat – anything, anything at all, would do. And yet, even the dog food which the boy had resorted to eating had run out, with not a single kibble remaining. What he wouldn’t give for just one bite to eat…

And that was when he heard it.

The sound of another life form within the rubble of his abandoned home, amidst the wreckage of the latest Aragami attack. Something else was alive in there.

Driven by his ravenous hunger, the boy followed the sound to its source, finding at his destination something he did not expect –

– an Aragami. No larger than a bowling ball, it floated in the air, its large eyes and toothed maw complementing its spikes and fins. As far as Aragami went, this one looked weak enough. It would likely feed him for a few weeks if he rationed it.

And so he crept, and crept, and crept, keeping out of sight and making sure not to make a sound. The sound of broken glass, however, alerted the Aragami to the boy’s presence –

– but by then, it was too late. The boy leapt at the Aragami, grabbing it and sinking his teeth into it before it could react. He reached around and snapped its jaw before bashing it against a sharp piece of broken wood, impaling it and killing it instantly. 

He had done it. His first hunt. The adrenaline high mixed with the delectable taste of his prize and instilled in the boy a feeling he would never forget for the rest of his life.

Over the next few days, however, the boy could feel a change coming over him. If he had to describe it, it would be the feeling of a shiver starting from deep within, the energy spreading outwards gradually until his entire body felt suffused with it. After a while, he always felt in peak form – he no longer felt hungry, he was resistant to injury, and any injuries he did sustain healed within short order.

Perhaps this was a new beginning in his life, the boy thought. Perhaps it was God rewarding him for his suffering.

Of course, as for what this truly signified, the boy would not find out until much later…

***

::EPILOGUE::

::SEPTEMBER 17TH, 2076::

It had been well over two years since Nanako had last set foot here. 

The familiar walls of the Glasgow Branch had opened readily before her, their inhabitants welcoming her with open arms. Since the final defeat of Rachel Claudius and the rescue of Julius Visconti, Nanako had remained at the Far East Branch for a while before setting out on her own, wandering the world and slaying any Aragami she came across while aiding those in need of assistance. The day came, however, when the familiar pangs of nostalgia set in, prompting Nanako to return to the place where she had spent twelve years of her life. 

Her time with the members of the Glasgow Branch had brought her nothing but joy. Memories of her time at the Branch came flooding back as she conversed with the R&D team. After her departure, she learned, the team had doubled up on its efforts and production now that both Cyrus and Nanako were no longer with them. It made Nanako proud to see how they’d carried on in her absence.

Following her trip down memory lane, Nanako strode over to the massive lift used to transport large items and structures to the roof. Nine years ago, Nanako and Sigma had used this lift to bring the Gigantes to the surface so that they could lay low the Gehenna, the colossal Aragami that awakened to bring a swift and decisive end to all of humanity. Following this, Sigma had departed to parts unknown, and seven years hence, Nanako had returned to Japan, the land of her birth, to become a God Eater and embark on a new chapter in her life.

As the lift breached the ceiling and brought Nanako out into the open, she stepped over to the balcony and surveyed the landscape. The massive blast crater formed by the Sigma’s final attack had at last begun to show signs of life – grass was growing again, and Nanako could even see a flower here and there. Even in the wake of terrible destruction, she realized, there was potential for new life. Just like her own circumstances, she supposed.

She turned to make her way back to the lift, but something caught her eye. There, embedded at the edge of the balcony, was something that definitely had not been there before – a massive blade, colored crimson and black. Nanako moved towards this blade, wondering who had put it there… but deep down, she knew the answer. 

As she placed her hand upon its hilt, her suspicions were confirmed, as she could feel the faint lingering will of someone distantly familiar. He must have been looking out for her, she thought, as she removed the blade from its resting place and carried it with her towards the lift.

She did not know where her life would take her from here on out… but wherever it did, Nanako knew that Sigma would be watching over here every step of the way.

***

THE END


End file.
